Fated to Love You
by The Siege
Summary: Theirs is more than a story and less than a fairy tale. Theirs is simply the sun and the stars aligning in the only way they know, regardless of time and space. Theirs is a meeting that always was, is, and will be. Theirs is more than love: theirs is life. [nalu; drabbles/oneshots; rated T for language]
1. one soul

**Fated to Love You**

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**notes:** soooo yeah i'm starting a nalu collection. i'm sorry; i can't help it! i'm so in love with this pairing that i literally can't even focus on school anymore. doesn't seem like it's getting out of my system at all, but i'm trying. anyway, i've read a couple nalu reincarnation fics and i can't help but want to write my own. though it might be more parallel universes than reincarnation. eh, same difference. xD feel free to request an au/world! if i write it, i'll dedicate the chapter to you. i think i'm gonna start a nalu 100 (maybe more?) themes fic and i'll do the same request/dedication thing there too. thanks and enjoy!

**disclaimer: **i don't own Fairy Tail. (can i just say this here and not in the rest of the chapters because annoying. and everyone knows i ain't Hiro Mashima.)

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_/one soul_

_She_ is blond-haired and brown-eyed, busty and long-legged. She is vain and pampered and ignored and adventurous and imaginative and strong and kind and hot-tempered and out-of-place and fragile and _lonely_. She wants to escape her world to find a place she belongs.

_He_ is pink-haired and onyx-eyed, muscular and radiating heat. He is fierce and loyal and arrogant and reliable and honest and hot-headed and grinning and emotional and clueless and stubborn and _yearning_. He seeks a life he used to know to find closure.

She is Lucy and he is Natsu. They are two halves of a whole, two parts of an old soul newly born into two separate bodies. They are drawn together, always meeting at the place where destiny is handmade.

No matter the world nor the era, she will always find him and he will always accept her and together they will always make their Fairy Tail home.

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© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	2. i'm your fan

**Fated to Love You**

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**notes:** ok i'm sorry, i know author's notes can be really annoying but i just wanted to say that i actually love how this one turned out. not sure how i did from natsu's pov but i hope i did ok. thanks and enjoy! don't forget to request!

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_/i'm your fan_

for BlueCross03

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This is a dream. This is definitely a dream. This _must_ be a dream.

I cannot believe I'm here right now.

Unable to control my jittery nerves, I bounce on my feet as I wait in line, clutching my favorite novel tightly to my side so it doesn't fall on the ground and get dirty.

"Calm down, Natsu," Levy laughs, poking me sharply in the side. It doesn't deter me.

"Mavis, Salamander, yer makin' me sick just lookin' at ya," Gajeel grumbles, turning away. "Why am I even here?"

"To keep me company, right?" Levy looks up at the heavily pierced man with wide, pleading eyes. "You wouldn't leave me alone with _Natsu_, would you? How can I have a proper conversation with him when he can't stop bouncing?"

I snicker as I watch Gajeel try and fail to resist the charm of her puppy dog eyes, his faint blush not escaping my notice. "You're so whipped, man," I guffaw, and then quickly dodge when he takes a swing at me.

"Shaddup," he growls, bristling, but he immediately calms down when Levy gently places a hand on his arm and asks him how his band is doing.

_They're so head-over-heels for each other_, I think fondly as their conversation becomes animated. Literally the only time Gajeel doesn't have a scowl on his face is when he's talking to Levy. They're so obvious that their constant denials of romantic feelings are killing all of our friends. Honestly, it's only a matter of time. Might as well let them go at their own pace.

I shrug and turn away from the happy not-couple, eyes lighting up and a grin spreading across my face when a bell jingles and the door to the book store finally opens. I'm not a big reader, but L. L. Heart writes the _best_ stories. She's my favorite author - Levy's too, so I know I'm not reading trash - and even Happy (my cat) likes her stories (or he seems to, when I read aloud) so _man_, how lucky am I to be at this book signing right now?

I'm especially excited because L. L. Heart is so mysterious. She's _never_ revealed her face to the public yet and this is her first book sign. I mean, I don't _really_ care what she looks like but it's pretty cool to be one of the first fans to personally interact with her.

"Single file line, please," someone yells. He looks hassled; I assume he's one of the planners of the event. "Single file!"

I dutifully wait in line, book tucked safely under my arm, as I slowly inch closer to the door.

"I'm so excited!" Levy squeals from behind me and I can't shake my grin. "We're going to meet her _in person_! I've always wondered what she looks like! Oh, I bet she's gorgeous, I mean good writers are always gorgeous, and probably friendly too! I wish I could be her friend! I wonder what her real name is!"

I slowly tune Levy out as she rambles on. We're finally inside the store now and I'm just a few people from the front of the line and I can just catch a glimpse of her and -

Levy's right.

She's absolutely gorgeous.

Hair spun from pure gold, eyes the color of warm amber, dressed in the blue of the sky and - oh _Mavis_, her smile. _Damn_.

It's official: I'm ruined. She's officially ruined me for any other girl. I'm in love.

Gajeel chortles from behind me and I realize I accidentally spoke aloud. Trying not to allow my face to flush the same color as my hair, I turn and glare at him. "What? Just look at her!"

"Yeah, she's hot," he agrees.

Levy pouts and steps away from him.

"But not my type," he quickly adds, pulling her back to his side as casually as possible.

She tries to hide her smile. I roll my eyes.

"Get a room, you two." I grin when they both shoot me dark looks.

"I knew it! Didn't I say she would be gorgeous?" Levy jumps in excitement. "I bet she would be the perfect best friend!"

"Yeah," I say, not really paying attention as I stare at her. Mavis, she's so beautiful. I wonder if it would be too creepy if I just go up to her and ask her out.

Probably.

"So that's your type, eh, Natsu?" Levy says slyly.

I jerk out of my thoughts at her words. Mavis, I think my ears are blushing. I try to play dumb. "What? No!"

"_Mm_-hmm," she hums, clearly unconvinced.

"Ya gonna ask 'er out?" Gajeel grunts and I groan.

"No, she'd probably get creeped out." I sigh.

Levy tilts her head and taps her chin thoughtfully. "I don't know. She might be flattered. I mean, I would be. Well, as long as you're not too smooth, but you're Natsu so I don't think you have to worry."

"Hey!" I protest and Gajeel smirks.

She ignores me. "I mean, you're pretty cute and you're nice and sincere so, you know, as long as your feelings come across, you should be fine."

I think about it. "I don't know..."

"Well, make up your mind quick 'cause you're next!" She shoves me and I stumble forward to the table.

"Hi!" says the sweetest voice I've ever heard in my life and when I look up, there she is, beaming at me in all her glory. Her eyes flick to me hair and I can see the mirth bubbling up in them as she registers the color pink.

Oh Mavis, I'm dying. This girl is killing me, she's too perfect and there's no way she would go out with me, I'm _so_ not asking her -

"Would you like to get coffee with me?" I blurt out even as my mind is screaming, "HOE DON'T DO IT!"

She stiffens and stares at me wordlessly. The smile is gone from her face and I don't blame her at all.

I'm such a creeper.

"I mean - sorry, I didn't - just - please, forget I said anything," I mumble, unable to meet her eyes. I fumble with my book and meekly hand it to her. "Sorry, I'm just such a huge fan and I've never seen your face before, I mean no one has, and I was nervous and you're beautiful and I'm just gonna shut up now."

She giggles and slides the book back to me. I look up at the sound and note that her cheeks are adorably pink. "Thank you," she says shyly. "I'm flattered."

_Note to self: Levy is _always_ right._

I don't want to go yet. No, I need more time with this angel! "I'm Natsu," my mouth moves without my brain telling it to again.

"It's nice to meet you, Natsu," she says softly and I swear, my name sounds heavenly when she says it. "I'm Lucy."

"Lucy," I repeat, slowly smiling. "Thanks."

"Hurry up, Natsu!" Levy whines impatiently and all but shoves me out of the way. I'm too much in La-la Land to notice.

_Lucy._

I shoot one last look at the love of my life - oh Mavis, help, she's laughing at something Levy said, _laughing_ \- before scurrying away and quickly opening the book to find her signature, along with a short note.

_To "Just Such a Huge Fan":_

_I'll be done by five. Can we get dinner instead?_

_XXX-XXX-XXXX_

_Lucy Heartphilia_

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© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	3. of flowers and photos

**Fated to Love You**

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**notes:** just thought of this one randomly and had to write it. natsu and lucy are totally ooc but that's what makes this all the more fun! i love the idea that two characters can be completely different people in completely different worlds and still find each other and fall in love. they're just fated, ya know? ;) anyway, enjoy! i have some other ideas for this au too so i might actually continue this in later chapters. look forward to it! remember, you can request an au if you like! request as many times as you want!

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/_of flowers and photos_

Natsu clutched at his stomach and groaned. "Someone get me outta here..."

Leaning out of the open window, he sagged against the bus with his eyes closed and his mouth open, ready to spew out vomit at any moment.

"I knew this was a bad idea," he muttered before gagging again when the bus hit a bump in the road. "Jesus - !"

His cat, Happy, seemed to meow in amusement as he curled up on Natsu's lap and purred himself to sleep. It was times like these that Natsu both despised and envied Happy for being able to fall asleep at any time, in any place.

"Are we there yet?" he called out weakly to the bus driver, who continued to ignore him. Natsu's head lolled with the motion of the bus, still dangling out the window.

His sharp hearing could detect whispers of disgust from behind him but he really couldn't bring himself to care. He was too busy condemning himself for embarking on such a stupid trip.

_I'm so stupid,_ he thought to himself. _Do I really need to go this far to get inspired? What was I thinking?_

Natsu was an aspiring photographer. He enjoyed taking pictures of people and animals, but people always told him his forte was landscapes, followed closely by food. He had hit a dead end: he wanted to take pictures of one thing but everyone liked his pictures of other things better. What was he to do?

He figured he had two option. Option one: figure out what was wrong with his people pictures and fix it. Option two: find more joy in landscapes.

He chose option two.

He had heard of Layla Gardens before, but it wasn't till one of his good friends had suggested that he get away from the city for a while that he remembered it. His research showed that Layla Gardens were property of the Heartphilia Konzern, named after the late wife of Jude Heartphilia. They were said to be beautiful beyond measure and he thought if such a place couldn't inspire more love for pure scenery, nothing could.

So he hopped on a bus and prepared himself for the long ride.

Only he clearly hadn't prepared enough, because three motion sickness patches later, he was out and still on the godforsaken vehicle, without a clue as to how far away he still was from the Gardens. He was beginning to severely regret his spontaneous decision.

An hour and forty minutes later, the bus jerked to a stop and the driver yelled in a bored tone, "Layla Gardens."

Natsu forced himself out of his seat, picked up a still slumbering Happy, made sure his scarf and camera were around his neck, and dragged himself off the bus, still holding his stomach. "Thanks," he croaked to the driver. "Which way to the Gardens?"

With a heavy sigh, the bus driver pointed at a skinny dirt path and said, "Just follow that all the way down. If yer wantin' ta bus back to the city later today, the bus arrives here ev'ry hour. Now get!"

With a sloppy salute and a poor imitation of his usual thousand-watt grin, Natsu jumped off the bus and started walking. The bus zoomed away and within seconds, Natsu was back to normal.

He dropped Happy, who yowled in irritation, and shouted, "C'mon, Happy, let's go!"

He took off running, Happy chasing him from behind.

He arrived before a small wooden sign that read, "Beyond this point lies the beauty of Layla Gardens, property of the Heartphilia Konzern. Open to the public 24/7."

With a loud whoop, Natsu ran off again, clutching his camera eagerly.

The land slowly changed from plain grass to gorgeous flowers of all kinds and colors. Natsu looked around with wide eyes, awed by the number of flowers he had never seen before.

The wind was strong and warm, blowing through the flowers and Natsu's rosy hair. The sun shined down happily. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Wow..."

Happy sniffed at some flowers and sneezed cutely, then growled and wrapped himself around Natsu's leg. He didn't care for all the plants; he just wanted to eat fish.

Natsu grinned down at his cat. "Sorry, buddy. Fish later, 'kay?"

He trudged down the path, looking around and waiting for the urge to hit, but after many long minutes of walking and watching, nothing happened.

He began to frown. "C'mon, I need inspiration. Inspiration! Come to me!" He spread his arms out wide and spun in lazy circles.

Happy yelped.

Immediately, Natsu looked around for his cat, only to find that the creature had run quite a bit ahead of him. Scowling, he walked forward until he realized that his cat was wrestling with a white...thing.

He wasn't really sure what it was. It was white and round and had an oddly pointy nose and it didn't look like any animal he had ever seen or heard of, _ever_.

"Happy, what're you - "

"Plue! Plue, where are you?"

That was not Natsu.

There was someone else here?

Natsu jerked his head up, squinting at something in blue ahead of him. From the voice, the person was clearly female. He moved forward and just as he reached the tangled animals, she turned.

He stared.

Her hand was on her floppy, wide brim hat to keep it from flying away. She was dressed in a long, fluttery, blue sundress, her blonde hair shining golden under the sun and floating freely in the wind. Her face was worried until her eyes - were they brown? A warm, molten amber brown - caught on his. Then her face changed to something akin to curiosity and the touch of a beautiful smile danced on her lips.

His heart stopped for a moment.

_Click_.

He froze. She froze. Even the animals froze.

Had he - did he just -

"Did you just take a picture of me?"

Flinching out of his daze, he dropped his camera so it dangled on its own from the strap around his neck. His hand reached up to his neck, rubbing slowly, as he tried to answer her. "Uh - sorry, I just - I don't know what I was thinking - "

"May I see it?"

His eyes met hers again and he realized with a start that she was only a few feet in front of him. She held out her hand expectantly and he quickly pulled the camera over his head and placed it gently into her hand.

"Uh, be careful with it. Please," he tacked on as an afterthought.

"Alright."

She fiddled around with the buttons and controls for a few seconds before frowning and look up at him again. "Um, do you mind - "

"Oh! Oh right, sure." He took the camera and quickly found the picture he had just taken without conscious thought. His eyes lingered on it for a moment - it had really captured the moment well. It was stunning, to say the least. This was the kind of picture people fell in love with.

He gave it back to her and she proceeded to stare at it silently. The air was a little tense, a touch awkward, and a whole lot uncomfortable.

"Uh, I'm really sorry I took your picture without permission. I didn't even realize I had taken it until after." He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, uncertain if the look on her face was good or bad.

She spoke after a while. "Why did you take it?"

"I don't - "He stopped. He was about to say, "I don't know what came over me" but that wasn't much of an excuse. His eyes flickered to hers and found her staring openly at him. He swallowed and held her gaze before saying quietly, "Because you looked so beautiful."

Her cheeks flushed but at the same time a disbelieving brow rose up on her forehead. "Lines won't work on me. Believe me, I've heard more than enough of those to last me two lifetimes."

"No, I wasn't trying to - I didn't mean - " He huffed in frustration before trying again. "I'm not trying to sweet-talk you or anything. I just - that moment - that moment was perfect and I had to capture it. And while I will delete it if you insist, I hope you'll allow me to keep it because it's one of the best pictures I've ever taken, maybe _the_ best one." He stared at her pleadingly, praying that she would believe him.

She studied him for a long time, her eyes moving between his face and the picture. Eventually, she sighed and returned the camera. "Alright, you can keep it. You don't look like a bad guy" - her eyes jumped to his hair and he knew exactly what she was thinking - "so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Just don't do it again."

"Yes'm!" he declared with a silly salute and he couldn't help but grin when he saw her hesitantly crack a smile. "You really are beautiful."

She blushed again and spun around. "How can you just say that?"

He blinked. "Because it's true?"

She cleared her throat and turned back to him. "Anyway, since you're here, would you like a tour?"

He tilted his head. "A tour?"

"Of the Gardens." She swept her arm out to indicate the whole of Layla Gardens. "This place is dedicated to my mother, so naturally I know it like the back of my hand."

"Your moth - _you're_ Jude Heartphilia's daughter?" he exclaimed.

She nodded. "Yes. Though I'd prefer if you not tell anyone that you met me."

"Why not?"

She turned and began walking, so he trailed behind, glancing back only to make sure the two pets were following. "My father doesn't want me in the public eye at all. That's why no one knows what I look like. But it'll be obvious if even one picture leaks out." She spun back around with a wide smile. "Because I look exactly like my mother."

He grinned. "So beauty runs in the family?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I told you pick-up lines don't work on me. What about you? What are you doing here?"

Natsu sighed and began to fiddle with his camera. "I want to be a professional photographer. I like taking pictures of people but my friends all tell me I should stick to landscapes. So I came here for inspiration." He smiled and surveyed the flower fields. "I never thought I'd come here and end up with my best picture ever - of a _person_." He smirked.

"And flowers!" She giggled and skipped ahead before doubling back. "Inspiration, huh? Then I know just the place!"

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him excitedly after her with a playful smile and they ran off hand-in-hand, laughing.

Natsu decided that the hours-long bus ride had been worth it after all.

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© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	4. the dragon king

**Fated to Love You**

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**notes:** hey guys! sorry it's been so long and sorry this is so short, but i haven't been overly inspired lately. still lots of school work to worry about. TT_TT remember, i'll be participating in ft angst week and ft fluff week (check em out!) so please look forward to those! umm oh yeah this au (i imagine it as a school au but it's not very clear so think whatever you like) is inspired by a tumblr prompt by otpdisaster. just something short and sweet. enjoy!

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/_the dragon king_

"Bow down to the Dragon King!" the masked man cackled evilly, grinning wildly at the crowd. "If you don't want your worst nightmare to come true, then you better do everything I say!"

An uneasy murmur rose from the onlookers. They had no idea who the guy was and they didn't want to risk themselves in case he was really a hardened criminal.

Suddenly, the "Dragon King" tilted his head back to face the sky and a long jet of fire shot out from his mouth. As if on cue, the screaming and frantic shoving began.

"Get outta my way!"

"I can't die yet! I'm too beautiful!"

"Aghhhhhhh!"

The masked man surveyed the chaos with satisfaction, nodding happily with his fists planted on his hips - that is, until he caught sight of one unamused blonde shaking her head and making her way towards him.

His eyes widened but he quickly pulled himself together and told himself that she didn't know. How could she? He was in disguise after all!

He watched her progress with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, arms folded across his bare chest. She threw him a murderous glare as she squeezed through sobbing people trying to run away. He ignored the pang of fear in his chest. She was just being righteous, that was all. She didn't know -

"Natsu Dragneel, you bastard, if you don't get down from there right this second and prostrate yourself on the ground with an apology then so help me God, I will rip your balls off and shove them up your ass with your eyeballs!" she yelled at him furiously, seething. He could practically see the smoke rising from her head.

And here he thought _he_ was like a dragon.

Then her words settled into his brain and he panicked.

"Uh, who is this Natsu Dragneel you speak of? I have never heard of him for I am the Dragon King! But he sounds like a great guy! In fact, I'm sure he's super strong and good-looking and popular and funny and perfect and - EEK!" he screamed as she launched herself at him and toppled them both onto the ground, where they rolled a few times before coming to a stop on the grass.

He groaned and tried to get up, only to find her sprawled on top of him. She raised her head and met his eyes with her own.

He gulped.

"Wait Lucy, I can explain - "

"LUCY KICK!"

After thoroughly beating him up - "I-I...think y-you've been...s-s-s-spending too m-much time with...Erza..." - she ripped off his ridiculous mask and dragged him by the foot to go find Erza and get everything sorted.

"What the hell were you thinking, Natsu?" she shouted. "You were supposed to be doing your fire dancing act, not scaring the shit out of everyone! where the hell did you even get this stupid mask?"

"Hey, I made that!"

"No wonder it's so stupid-looking," she muttered. She casually tossed it into a nearby trash can, ignoring his lamenting moans, and continued pulling him along behind her.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell were you thinking?" she asked again, still not fully able to comprehend what she had just seen.

"I was just having some fun!" he pouted. "But more importantly, how did you know it was me?"

At that, she froze and unceremoniously dumped him onto the ground. She whirled on him and gave him her most incredulous look. "Are you kidding me, Natsu? The least you could've done if you didn't want to be recognized was to cover your stupid pink hair!"

"Oh."

She rolled her eyes and stalked away, knowing he would soon pick himself up and follow her.

"Wai - hey! Luce, that's mean! My hair's not stupid! You don't really think that, do you? Luce? Luce!? Lucy!"

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© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	5. just so you know

**Fated to Love You**

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**notes:** hey y'all! sorry for the long wait but here's the next au! i'm really into nalu aus again so i think i'll be updating this collection relatively frequently within in the next few days (we'll see how my muse treats me). this one is a bit - ok a lot - sad, but i was inspired by otpdisaster's prompt (on tumblr). still, enjoy (i guess? if tragedy is enjoyable?)

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/_just so you know_

Natsu knew he should've listened to Lucy. She was almost always right, after all, but no. he had to be stubborn and overconfident.

Now look where he was. Bleeding out from several gunshot wounds against the wall of some old, dilapidated building, miles and miles away from home.

From Lucy.

_Luce_.

He coughed, blood spluttering onto the ground, and winced. Shifting painfully, his fingers trembled horribly as he dug around in his pants for his bloody cell phone. His other hand pressed over the stab wound in his side, trying futilely to stop the flow of blood leaving his body. Coughing as he hit speed-dial number one, he slowly brought the device to his ear and waited.

Click. "_Hello?_"

Immediately, his lips tilted upwards. "Heya, Luce."

"_Natsu! What's up? It's late._"

"Nothin'. Jus' wanted to—to hear your voice." He coughed again, trying to stifle it as much as possible, but doing so only made the pain stuff his chest like cotton in a plush.

"_So late at night? You'll see me tomorrow. You should probably sleep, you sound kind of tired._"

He had to smile at the concern in her voice. He hated that he always made her worry, but he secretly loved the feeling of someone fussing over him. "Yeah, jus'...went for a run. And then I—I missed you all of a sudden. I really wanted"—he grimaced as a pulse of pain rain through his chest—"to talk to you."

"_Natsu?_" Ah, darn. She knew him too well. "_Natsu, what's wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt? you sound like you're hurt. Where are you right now?_"

"I'm fine, Luce. Promise." He hated himself for lying to her and making a promise that he couldn't keep, but he didn't want to leave her worried. "I just bumped into something. Don't worry."

"_Are you sure?_" she fretted. "_You're fine?_"

"Mm-hm, I'm perfect now that you're talking to me."

He could practically hear her roll her eyes. "_Alright,_" she sighed, giving in, "_but remember, you promised to ask for help if you ever needed it._"

"I remember, Luce." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "I love you, you know?"

"_I know._" There was a soft smile in her voice. "_I love you too._"

"I love you more than anything in this world. You—you know that, right?"

"_Natsu?_"

"I—you hafta know that, Luce. You hafta—you hafta trust me on that, Luce, 'kay? That's the one thing you can always believe in. That I love you."

"_Natsu, you're kind of scaring me. Is...is something wrong?_"

"Nah, I jus' needed to make sure you know. Just—I love you."

"_Natsu..._"

"You love me too, right? Tell me you do, Luce."

She laughed shakily. "_You know I do. You're my sun, Natsu._"

One corner of his lips curved up into half a smirk. "Mm. You're...all the stars...in my night sky...Luce. Never...forget that."

"_I know, Natsu, I know, but you're really scaring me. Are you absolutely sure you're okay? Natsu?_"

His hand slid down his body and hit the ground. His chest was still.

"_Natsu? Natsu? Answer me! Natsu!_"

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"_Hey Luce. We're gonna be together forever, right?" The pink-haired boy grinned widely as he held up his pinky._

_The blonde girl—his best friend, his soul mate, his better half—rolled her eyes but linked her pinky with his accordingly. "Of course, silly. Together forever."_

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© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	6. to fly through the sea

**Fated to Love You**

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**notes:** i looooove mermaid aus so i had to try my hand at one. this time, natsu's the merperson and lucy is, well, a princess, which is nothing new really. i quite like this au and i have more written but no actual plot yet. lemme know what you guys think. should i make this au its own story with a full plot or just write random drabbles/oneshots in this universe? also, don't forget you can request an au! i'd love to know what universes you guys would like to see! :)

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/_to fly through the sea_

Imagine a girl, blonde-haired and brown-eyed, dressed in the finest silks and crowned with the most brilliant jewels. She's regal and proper, elegant and gentle. She's a beacon of grace. She's a princess.

Now take that image and toss it out to sea. Imagine instead the same girl, only she's crouching barefoot in the sand, searching for seashells by the water's edge. Her hair is a windblown mess and her gown is drab and worn. She's plain, almost dirty, and looks like your average commoner. But alas, she's a princess.

Princess Lucy Heartphilia, the exact opposite of the girliest, most stereotypical princess to ever walk the earth.

That's me.

My fingers sift through the warm sand, seeking shells. This is my favorite pastime and it's such a lovely day to be by the beach. The sun shines warmly down on me and I feel a hopeful stirring in my chest. As if something will change today.

My fingertips brush over something smooth and solid. It is, to my delight, a cute little conch shell. Beaming, I sit back, burying my toes into the sand, and hold the shell up to my ear. The sound of crashing waves echoes through my head and I hum in satisfaction.

The songs of the ocean are my favorite music.

Still humming along to the waves, I let my eyes wander across the endlessness of the sea. The water sparkles, blue-green, in the sunshine. The waves are soothing and peaceful and I have never felt more at ease.

Suddenly, a spot of color draws my gaze. It's pink, bright pink, a color I never thought I'd find in the sea. Frowning, I sit up and watch as it bobs closer and closer.

Wait.

My eyes widen. Is—is that—is that a—

I spring to my feet and quickly strip down to my shift. I run into the water and launch myself forward, never more thankful that I'd managed to convince my father to let me have swimming lessons years ago.

I swim in the direction of the head—the head, _it's a head, someone's drowning_—and pray that I won't be too late. It's more difficult that I had thought to swim in my shift; it's oddly heavy, pressing against my chest, and my breathing grows labored.

My arms tire and lose speed and my legs weaken in their kicks. I struggle for another breath, scratching at my chest, when I finally realize that I'd forgotten to get rid of my corset.

Of course.

I yank at it, trying to loosen it, but the laces are so tight and knotted that I can't untie them without help normally, let alone underwater. I try to pull it apart at the seams, but I'm so tired and my lungs are begging for air and dear lord, am I going to die? I wish I'd at least saved the drowning person first.

The last thing I see is a pair of dark, curious eyes.

* * *

I wake coughing, hacking up sea water from my lungs. It's painful and my throat quickly becomes sore.

"Are you alright?" a husky voice questions curiously.

I look up and see a man—a boy, really—with that bright pink hair and deep onyx eyes staring at me with his head tilted cutely to one side.

I try to force my voice out of my throat but end up coughing violently instead. My entire body shakes with the force and the boy reaches an arm to my back, patting me calmly.

Eventually, my coughing fit subsides and he retracts his arm. "Thanks," I whisper hoarsely, clearing my dry throat with a grimace.

I look at him again, to study him, and it is then that I notice exactly how shirtless he is, aside from a scaly white scarf of sorts. I squeak and scoot away instinctively, my cheeks burning and my eyes averted. "Where—where are your clothes!?"

"What are clothes?" He sounds genuinely confused.

"You know, like..." I gesture towards myself.

Except I'm not clothed.

_Oops_.

I squeal again and wrap my arms protectively around my torso, sure that my face is on fire now. "I-I-I-I'm so sorry! I have no right to criticize you when I myself am unclothed! Oh, please don't look!"

He snickers and I'm sure I cannot face him again.

My fingers tug at my shift and I discover the absence of my corset. Surprised, I look up at him again and ask, "Did you take off my corset?"

His eyebrows furrow as he considers my question. "I dunno what a corset is, but I got that thing off you so you could breathe better." He points at my feet and there it is, my godforsaken corset, shredded apart like some monster had clawed through it.

There's a dark triumph behind my words. "Thank you. It had been weighing me down when I was swimming and—oh my goodness, are you alright? You were drowning, weren't you?"

I scramble towards him and he jerks back in surprise. I look him over frantically, trying not to linger too long on his beautiful sculpted muscles or his glistening tail.

Wait. Tail?

My eyes snap back to his and he returns my gaze with amusement.

"I'm a merman," he declares with a smirk. "We can't drown."

"You—you have a—a tail—" I mumble faintly, feeling lightheaded. "Oh, I must be dreaming. Did I hit my head? Or no, I drowned. That's right, I must be dead. Oh goodness."

He laughs, and it's a wondrous sound. I might possibly like it even more than crashing waves, and that is definitely saying something.

"Nope, you're alive. I saved ya." He proudly puffs out his bare and very nice chest. "So now we're friends , right?"

My eyebrows shoot up. "Friends?"

"Aren't we?" He looks at me imploringly and I can't deny him.

"Er, well...if you'd like to be," I allow cautiously and he whoops, rolling on the hot sand. I giggle, and he immediately freezes and stares at me.

"Was that your laugh? 'Cause it sounded really cute and I'd really like to hear it again."

_Lord, have mercy!_

His voice is so sincere that I actually have to touch my cheeks to make sure my skin isn't burning up in flames. "Don't just say things like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's embarrassing!"

He laughs again and yes, I really do like the sound of it more than anything other. "You're weird. Hey, what's your name, weirdo?"

"I'm Lucy. And I'm not weird!" I pout.

"Yeah, you are," he chuckles. "So Luigi, huh?"

"Lucy!"

"Right, right. Well, I'm Natsu. It's great to meet ya!" He grins at me widely and I can't help but grin back. "I've never met a human before. My dad told me humans were bad but you're nice. Are all humans as nice as you?"

My eyes flick down to his tail and I stare, mesmerized by all the colors. "No, sadly, they aren't. The world would be a much better place if they were. Uh, Natsu, I hope I'm not being too forward, but would you mind very much if I touched your tail?"

He seems surprised by the question, but he just shifts his position so that his tail is closer to me. His fins nudge my thigh encouragingly.

Slowly, carefully, I reach down and place my hand partway up his tail. It twitches at the contact, but aside from that, he doesn't move.

"Is this okay?" I as, softly stroking the smooth scales.

He nods, his eyes drooping closed. "Mm. Feels nice, actually."

My hand glides down his tail to his fins, which I rub gently, admiring their silky texture.

He exhales loudly, and when I look at his face I realize he's actually falling asleep. "Natsu? Natsu! Don't fall asleep!"

"Wha-huh?" He shakes his head and blinks drowsily before yawning. "Oh sorry. Your hand was makin' me feel all sleepy."

I giggle, pulling my hand back and carefully lifting his tail away from me. "I could tell."

We sit quietly for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence and basking in the sun. He's surprisingly easy to be with, comfortable, and I don't want to leave but I know I must eventually, so I stand up and stretch. Looking down at myself, I suddenly notice that I'm still dressed only in my shift and quickly cover myself again.

"I'm sorry, please give me a moment," I squeak before running off to where I had left my clothes. I quickly pull them on before making my way back to Natsu, who's rolling around and laughing at me. "Don't laugh, that was embarrassing!"

"Aw c'mon Luce, no need to be so shy!" He snickers uncontrollably. "Mermaids don't cover themselves at all, ya know?"

"They don't? Nothing at all?" I imagine what it would be like to walk around without a scrap of cloth on my person and immediately I blush red. How indecent it sounds! "Well, I-I'm not a mermaid! Um, anyway, I think I must go now. It is getting late and I'm sure my tutors will have given up searching for me by now."

"Did you run away or something?" he asks, playing with the sand.

I nod. "Lessons were extra boring today and it was such a beautiful day out that I couldn't just stay indoors. I'm glad, though, because I was able to meet you." I smile shyly at him. "Princesses aren't allowed many friends."

"You're a princess!?" he exclaims, suddenly wide-eyed. "Wow, that's awesome! I'm a prince!"

"Are you really?" I laugh. "What a coincidence!"

"Yeah, I should probably get back too or Erza will scale me alive for 'shirking my duties' or something." He rolls his eyes as if the thought is totally absurd. "I'm glad we met too. You chose a good day to almost drown!"

My eye twitches and I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. "Um...oh, I never thanked you for that! Thank you so much for saving me, Natsu. I...I...if you hadn't been there..." I shake the thought away quickly. "Anyway, I'm indebted to you. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know."

"Anything, huh? Well..." He contemplates. "You could...meet me again tomorrow?"

"You...would like to see me again?" A slow smile grows across my face.

He nods eagerly. "Of course! So you will?"

"I'll do my best to escape again!" I beam at him. "Tomorrow, then!"

I curtsy and turn to walk away, hesitant, before running back to him and pecking him softly on the cheek. "Thanks again, Natsu," I whisper into his ear, and then I take off without looking back, slapping my cheeks and trying not to squeal.

* * *

© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	7. over the white noise

**Fated to Love You**

* * *

**notes:** i'm in love with college aus, probably because that's where i'm at in life right now, lololol (i hate college btw). so have some college nalu! ugh i only wish i could meet someone this way TT_TT the idea for this one came from a list on tumblr (as usual lol). feel free to request an au! enjoy!

oh that's right. to the reviewer who commented on my chosen spelling of Lucy's last name: it's not wrong. i've seen Heartphilia spelled both with an "f" and with "ph" and admittedly, the "f" version is more common. however, i personally saw "Heartphilia" more often in translations when i first got into Fairy Tail so that's how i'm gonna spell it.

* * *

/_over the white noise_

He ran as quickly as he could through the pouring rain, searching desperately for cover. Spotting a tiny awning ahead of him, he gritted his teeth and sprinted forward, clutching his backpack protectively to his stomach.

Once he was securely out of the rain, he blinked the water from his eyes and shook his hair like a dog, the wet pink strands flying through the air before coming to rest flatly on his head. Worried, he held his backpack up in front of him, checking it over, and sighed to find it damp but not soaked. He pulled it open, rifling through the mess of papers and folders before ripping out a small stack of papers. He looked through them and happily stuffed them away when he was satisfied that they were not waterlogged beyond recognition.

Loud splashing and muttered curses came from the left and he looked over just in time to see a girl run under the awning. She stood next to him, angrily fussing over her blonde hair and soggy clothes. He raised his eyebrows and watched in amusement as she carefully pulled out a small laptop bag from under her shirt, wondering when she would notice him next to her.

"I can't _believe_ this...today of _all days_...stupid rain, always hated it...ugh, where am I even? Can't even see my dorm through all this goddamn rain, Jesus Christ..."

He bit down hard on his lip to stifle a laugh.

Still grumbling under her breath, she brushed her bag, opening it to check on her laptop, before sighing in relief and looking around, probably for somewhere to sit. Her eyes froze on his backpack and slowly traveled up to his face.

He quirked his face into a smile. "Hi."

"Oh! Um, hi! Sorry, I didn't notice you." She blushed lightly and shook her bangs out of her eyes, which he noted were a very nice shade of amber. The very nice eyes landed on him, looking him over and lingering on his hair.

"I know what you're going to ask and no, it's not pink, it's _salmon_," he said reflexively, anticipating her reaction. "And yes, it's natural."

Her eyebrows shot up. "I was only going to compliment the color, but really?"

"No. Why do people actually believe that? When has salmon hair ever been natural?" He shook his head in exasperation.

He heard a cute sound and realized it was her giggle. "Sorry, you just looked so serious when you said it that I actually believed you for a millisecond."

They laughed together.

"I'm Natsu," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. "Natsu Dragneel."

"Lucy Heartphilia. Nice to meet you." She took his hand and shook it firmly, her hands so much smaller and softer and paler than his.

He liked the feel of it.

"Right backatcha, Luigi," he grinned, wildly shaking her arm up and down.

She yelped and ripped her hand away, pouting cutely at him. "It's Lucy!"

"Uh-huh. So why did you have your laptop up your shirt?" He snickered when she turned a furious shade of red and stammered at him.

"Y-y-you saw that? I was just trying to protect it from the rain! I have important documents on here!" She clutched her bag closer to her chest.

"Don't worry, I didn't see anything! You didn't lift your shirt up _that _much." H let out a full-blown laugh when she actually, honest-to-goodness stomped her foot and whined her displeasure.

"W-w-well, what about you? Why are you so soaked? You could've used your backpack as an umbrella."

He shook his head. "Nah, got my final paper in here. Couldn't risk it."

She brightened. "Ooh, may I read it? I'm a pretty good editor, if I do say so myself."

"Really!?" He jumped on the offer, immediately yanking his backpack open and scrambling through the papers. "You're awesome! Thanks, Luce! I've been looking for someone to help me!"

"It's no big deal. I enjoy it."

He stopped and raised his head slowly, giving her an incredulous look. "You _enjoy_ it? Wow. You're a weirdo, aren'tcha."

She flushed and stomped her foot again, flashing him an irritated glare. "Shut up! I'm not weird, _you're_ weird! Forget it, I'm not helping you!"

"Nononono, I'm sorry, Luce, I didn't mean it, you're the most awesomest person ever, please help me, O Great One!" He fell to his knees in proper groveling form and gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

She rolled her eyes but smiled, teasingly ruffling his hair. "Alright, alright, get up. You owe me." She whipped out a pen and held her hand out for the essay, which he eagerly handed over.

A few minutes later, he grew too impatient and complained, "C'mon Luce, hurry up! Are you done yet? This is boring!"

She glared at him and he quickly backed down, begging for forgiveness. "It's only been a few minutes, Natsu! This thing is ten pages, I can't read that fast! Plus there are so many errors that it's giving me a headache!"

"Yes, yes, I apologize. Please forgive me, Your Greatness." He bowed.

"No more interruptions."

"Your wish is my command."

She flicked his forehead and he yowled. Smirking, she re-immersed herself in his essay.

Rubbing his forehead, he immaturely stuck his tongue out at her, bowing hastily when her eyes slanted towards him. He straightened and fluffed his hair as he watched her work, a lopsided smile on his face.

She sure was something. He wished he had met her sooner, because he really liked her. After only a few minutes, it felt like they'd been friends for years. He already knew she would become a big part of his life in no time.

Glancing at the pouring sheets of rain, a mischievous grin crawled across his face. He turned to her, waiting expectantly for her entertaining reaction, and asked, "Hey Luce! Do ya think they'd deliver us pizza here?"

* * *

© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	8. the way i loved you

**Fated to Love You**

* * *

**notes:** uh hehe. hi gaiz.

SORRY FOR BEING MIA I PROMISE I'M STILL ALIVE AND KICKING school's started though and i'll try to write but definitely no promises

i re-discovered this song (tswizzle what uppppp lol) a few days ago and immediately thought of nalu. it's set in college again, because i'm in college and college aus are just fucking adorable. i used a lot of au ideas i found on tumblr in this one. :D it's disjointed and messy but that's kinda how i wanted it to be because their love was messy (but true) and yeah. idk. i just had to write this. it's not great but it's something. lemme know what you think?

also any aus you guys would like to see? i found a list of cute good kid/troublemaker aus on tumblr that i'm definitely gonna use.

**disclaimer:** Taylor Swift owns the song "The Way I Loved You" not me TT_TT

* * *

_the way I loved you_

i.

_He is sensible and so incredible  
And all my single friends are jealous_

We meet as two college students often do: at a club meeting.

He approaches me after with a kind smile and sweet words and when he asks for my number, I give it to him easily.

We text a lot and meet up for study dates in coffee shops and empty classrooms and when he meets my friends, he charms them all immediately.

"He's great," they gush.

"Cute _and_ smart," they giggle.

"You're so lucky, Lucy."

I smile.

* * *

ii.

Lucy sighed heavily again as another argument broke out a few tables down from her with consistently increasing volume. She rubbed her forehead and glared at the troublemakers in question, a dark-haired boy who seemed to have lost his shirt and a pink-haired one—_pink!_—in a warm-looking scarf despite the summer weather.

She waited for them to realize where they were and sit back down like they had the many times before, but this time they balled their hands into fists and looked to be moments away from an all-out fight.

Her eyes widened.

Oh no. No no no no _no_. She could not deal with this right now; it was _finals week_ and she need to actually study and this was the damn _library_ so—

"You two, shut up!" She didn't even realize she had shot up from her seat, almost knocking her chair over. Her body had completely moved without her voluntary consent. The two boys whipped their heads to stare at her, along with every other student in the room. Her cheeks burned but she didn't back down because she was furious. "You are in the _library_, for god's sake, and in case you hadn't realized, _it is finals week_ and that means people actually need to study and I swear to god if you two don't shut the hell up or get the hell out, I _will_ yell at you for the next five minutes and get us all kicked out!"

They stood, gaping and shell-shocked. When whispers broke out, they shook off their stupor and exchanged meek glances before nodding and sitting down, mouthing apologies to her and everyone else. She rolled her eyes and collapsed back into her seat, preparing to block out her mortification and judging eyes and actually get some goddamn studying done.

She didn't notice a pair of curious dark eyes darting to her every few minutes.

* * *

iii.

_He opens up my door and  
I get into his car and he says  
_"_You look beautiful tonight"  
And I feel perfectly fine_

Our first date is a nice dinner in a classy restaurant. He picks me up right on time and is a perfect gentleman, looking as dashing and neat as ever. The food is delicious and conversation is interesting.

We talk about everything from books to dancing to talking cats. We don't talk about my father, who stopped treating my like a daughter and more like an asset when my mother died twelve years ago, or his high school career as the underling of a bully.

We study together, exercise together, cook together, eat together, travel together—day trips only—and spend a lot of time together. We do not sleep together. I do not try to steal his clothes because they are large and comfy and smell like him and he does not try to kiss me until after I initiate our first one at the end of our seventh date. My friends still coo at me about how adorable we are.

It's not much, but I'm comfortable.

* * *

iv.

Lucy poked her head into the kitchen and froze.

Then she lunged into the room and began searching frantically.

"Shit," she cursed. "_Shit!_ I could've sworn—I _know_ I left them here—goddamn it, where are they—"

She fumbled around for a stressed ten minutes before trying the one place she hadn't wanted to try: the dishwasher. With a deep sense of foreboding, she pulled down the door and nearly broke down into an angry heap of tears at the sight of the plate she had used to hold her cookies sitting clean and dripping in the dishwasher.

Her muffled sobs turned into stuttered gasps as her exhaustion caught up with her and she realized she wouldn't have time to bake a new batch of cookies for class. It was already five AM and she should have been asleep ages ago, except she'd had loads of homework and she still had essays to write. And class was in three hours! She had only finished baking the cookies an hour ago and came to see if they'd cooled, but someone had eaten them all.

"What the fuck—who the _fuck_—they were _my_ cookies, _mine_, what _shithead_ eats cookies that belong to someone else, _Jesus Christ_, I even put it in the corner so people wouldn't notice, _goddammit, what do I do_—"

"Um, are...you okay?"

Lucy's head snapped up and she stared in humiliated shock at the pink-haired boy she'd yelled at in the library before winter break. She had seen him a few times since then with his friends, who were all equally as rowdy as he and his dark-haired stripper friend.

She knew she looked blotchy as hell from her crying so she quickly covered her face and sniffled into her hoodie. "Fine!"

"You don't sound fine."

"Well, actually, I'm not fine! Some bastard ate my cookies and I need them for class and I don't have time to bake them again and _fuck my life!_"

"Oh. Shit. Cookies."

His guilty voice made her slowly look up and stare at him. "Yes. Cookies. You wouldn't happen to know what happened to them, would you?"

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "See, the thing is—"

"Oh god," she moaned. "Why the fuck would you eat someone else's cookies? I spent two hours on those things and—_and shit!_"

"Hey, you left them there! I thought they were for the dorm!"

"_Well, you fucking thought wrong!_" she screeched, springing up and attacking him with her arms and legs.

"_Ow_-hey, look, I'm sorry! I'm—_ow_, hey, that _hurts_—I'm sorry, okay! Look, I'll help you make them again!"

"_Go to hell!_" She continued pummeling him in the chest and sides as angry tears streamed down her face.

"Hey—wait—stop—hey—_hey!_" He caught her arms and prevented her from hitting him. He winced when her foot met sharply with his shin but soldiered on. "Look, I'm really sorry, Lucy. I'll help you make them again, promise. I'll even get my friends to help out. Okay? You're right, I shouldn't have assumed and eaten all the cookies."

She stilled and yanked her arms away, wiping violently at her face. "Fine. Sorry for...going berserk on you. I just—I'm really stressed and I still have so much homework left to do and I just don't have _time_ for this, you know, and I—"

"Okay, shh, shh, breathe. It's okay, I got you." He grinned. "I'll help you make the best damn cookies to ever exist."

She glared at him half-heartedly and giggled. "God, I'm such a mess. I'm gonna go wash my face. I'll be right back. Thanks...Natsu, right? I hear your friends yell for you all the time."

He groaned. "They're all dumb. Ignore them."

She laughed and turned to go but then paused and looked at him curiously. "How did you know my name?"

* * *

v.

_He can't see the smile I'm faking  
And my heart's not breaking  
_'_Cause I'm not feeling anything at all_

"Lucy, I'm so sorry. I swear, she came on to me and I was kept trying to push her away but she-"

"It's fine," I cut him off, shaking my head. "Really. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. I trust you." I smile politely.

He stares at me uncomprehendingly. "You're...you're not mad?"

"No. I know you're not at fault."

"You're not...jealous?"

I chuckle. "Should I be? You're not into her, right?"

He looked at me for a long time. "Right."

* * *

vi.

_And you were wild and crazy  
Just so frustrating_

"Hey partner," Natsu greeted as he approached the lab table. "What are we blowing up today?"

She looked at him dryly. "Nothing. We are not blowing anything up today, okay? I need money for rent and food, you know."

He laughed and nudged her softly. "Aw, come on, Luce, live a little!"

"I'd like to live with money, please and thank you," she muttered, pulling on her lab goggles and handing Natsu a pair.

Of course, things went wrong, as they always do when it came to Natsu and chemicals.

"Natsu, you idiot!" she wailed. "I'm gonna have to draw my eyebrows on for _months!_ Do you understand how tedious that is? _Do you understand?_" She gingerly pressed around her forehead, nearly sobbing when she barely felt any eyebrow hair.

"Uh...no?"

Her eye twitched. He noticed and squeaked, running away.

"_Natsu Dragneel, get back here so I can_—"

* * *

vii.

_Intoxicating, complicated  
Got away by some mistake, and now_

"Lucy, you—I can't believe you!"

"Wha—_me?_ You can't believe _me?_ I can't believe you! How could you—"

"Don't blame everything on me! You're at fault too!"

"_Like hell I am!_ God, Natsu, you are so _infuriating_, I can't even deal with you—"

"Oh, _deal with me_, huh? Then what are you still doing here? Go on, leave!"

"Fine, I will! God, you need to _grow up_, Natsu, Jesus Christ—"

"Just go, Lucy! I thought—whatever. Just go."

* * *

viii.

_But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain  
And it's two AM and I'm cursing your name_

Lucy screamed and fought back as the attacker yanked at her hair and her purse, trying to rip it from her grasp.

"You _bitch_—just let go already—_fuck!_" the man hissed as her heel rammed into his shin.

"_Leave_"—kick—"_me_"—kick—"_alone!_" Lucy slammed her foot up towards his family jewels but he managed to catch her foot between his legs before it hit.

"Nice try," he smirked, renewing his efforts to steal her bag.

"Hey, leave her alone!"

Someone flew into the man and knocked him to the ground, Lucy keeping firm hold of her belongings. Under the dim streetlight, she saw pink hair and realized it was Natsu.

"Natsu!" she called in worry. "Be careful!"

"Don't worry about me, Luce, I got this—_ugh_!"

"_Natsu!_"

He flew several feet back and landed on the ground, groaning and rolling on the ground. The mugger got up and dusted himself off, grinning lasciviously at Lucy.

"Looks like your hero's outta commission, girlie," he sneered. "Just gimme the bag and you won't get hurt."

Lucy glared at him darkly, her fury rising at the thought of Natsu being seriously hurt. "You—how _dare_ you—_Lucy kick!_"

"_Argh!_"

He fell back and Lucy triumphantly marched over to Natsu, setting down her bag and leaning over him hesitantly, unsure what to do. "Natsu? Natsu, is it bad? Do you—do you need a hospital? Come on, let's go to a hospital."

She struggled to help him up, his body sagging against hers. As she stood, the man-he wasn't knocked out?-darted forward and grabbed her bag off the ground before limping away.

"Hey, give that back!" she yelled. "Shit! Ugh, dammit."

Natsu groaned and immediately she switched back to worry.

"Right, you're more important."

She limped them forward and his head lolled forward and tapped against hers, catching her attention. She turned and found herself breaths away from his face. Her eyes traced his strong features: his slanted eyes, his straight nose, his angled cheeks, his sharp jaw, his parted lips. His normally expressive face was completely smoothed out and he looked more peaceful than she'd ever seen him. A soft smile spread across her lips. She was glad they had become close friends in the past few weeks. He was so much better than her first impression of him.

Her cheeks pinked as her eyes flickered to his lips and she quickly turned away and cleared her throat, dragging them to the side of the road to try to catch a taxi at two AM.

She couldn't help the giggles that burst out of her at the ridiculous situation and wondered why he could get her into so much trouble and she still could never stay mad at him.

* * *

ix.

_I'm so in love that I acted insane  
__And that's the way I loved you_

Natsu got up slowly, wincing when the bed creaked. His eyes flew to Lucy's slumbering form, sighing in relief when she simply snuggled deeper into the blanket.

They had fallen asleep together again.

She was always to fiercely protective of her personal space and yet she went and did stuff like this. He shook his head in amusement, slipping out from under the covers as quietly as possible.

He tugged on his shoes and grabbed his backpack, watching Lucy as he tiptoed to the door.

_Fuck, she's so cute_, he thought helplessly as a little smile touched her lips and she sighed happily.

_Crash_.

"Shit," he hissed as he tripped over her scattered pens and fell into her desk as he tried to dance away from her homework—she would _destroy_ him if he wrinkled them—and his backpack spilled all his books with several loud thumps. He finally caught himself awkwardly against her chair.

Slowly he looked back at Lucy and gasped a little as he watched her stir and sit up, rubbing her eyes blearily.

She blinked and surveyed the mess. He could pinpoint the exact moment she realized what—_who_—had happened.

He swallowed and prayed for mercy.

"_Natsu Dragneel, prepare to be Lucy-kicked into the next century_—"

He hadn't lived long, but it was a good way to go.

* * *

x.

_Breakin' down and comin' undone, it's a  
Roller coaster kinda rush, and I  
Never knew I could feel that much_

"Happy birthday, Luce!"

She gasped at the large present he held out to her and looked up at him. "Natsu! You shouldn't have—I don't need anything—"

"I wanted to." He nudged the box towards her. "Go on, open it!"

He watched nervously as she carefully unwrapped the present and gasped as she realized what it was.

"Natsu!" She stared at him with teary eyes. "This is—this must have been so expensive!"

He shrugged, grinning. "Eh. I don't usually buy anything but food so I gotta lotta money to spend anyway."

She set the star lamp down and threw her arms around his neck tightly. He stumbled back under her weight but caught her and hugged her back just as firmly.

"Thank you so much, Natsu, I love it," she murmured into his neck, breathing in his smoky pine smell.

He buried his nose into her hair. "You told me you always wanted to see space, so..."

"This is the best present ever. Thank you so much, Natsu." She pulled back with a happy smile, beaming at him so brightly he almost thought she was glowing. "Let's try it out!"

They brought the lamp to her room and turned off all the lights, closed all the windows. She tenderly lifted the device from the box and plugged it in, setting in on the ground in the middle of the room and turned it on. She gasped as stars and planets dotted the ceiling and walls and he exhaled a "wow."

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"Yeah," he agreed, his eyes flitting to starstruck form. He thought she fit in here; she looked like she was home. A sun among stars.

"Hey, Luce?"

"Hmm?" She turned to him with a smile.

He gulped. "We've...we've known each other a while, right?"

She tilted her head and thought about it. "A year and a half, just about. Is that a while?"

"Long enough," he muttered. "Would you believe me if I said I really like you?"

She blushed and shrugged. "I would if you meant it."

"I mean it."

She froze and stared at him, his dark eyes burning into hers. She read sincerity there, and her smile slowly slid from her face. "Natsu?"

"I really like you, Lucy. Really really really. Like, a whole lot. I like you more than anyone else in the world, even though I've only known you a year and a half. Can you believe me?"

A beat, and then she was smiling so widely it almost hurt. "I really really really like you too, Natsu."

Her words entered his brain but he didn't fully process it for another minute. He hadn't expected her to answer-to _reciprocate_.

He strode forward and gathered her up into his arms, kissing her deeply under the stars. His hands held her face gently, preciously, like she was a treasure he was afraid to break.

She pulled back and gasped for air, but he immediately dragged her back to him for another kiss. Her fingers gripped his shoulders and curled into his shirt, anchoring her there.

"I bet I like you more," he mumbled in between kisses, making her laugh against his lips. His hands slid down her body and settled on her waist.

She cupped his cheeks and slanted her lips firmly against his before replying a little breathlessly, "It's not a competition, Natsu."

He grinned and her heart stuttered. "But if it was, I'd win."

* * *

xi.

He stares for another long second before sighing and running his hand through his hair. "Lucy, I don't...I don't think this is working."

I blink at him with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

He sighs again and looks at me seriously. "You don't like me."

"Wha—yes I do—"

"Not as a boyfriend, you don't."

I shut my mouth.

He nods slowly. "Yeah. That's what I thought."

* * *

xii.

I'm sorry to him. I'm sorry for leading him on. I'm sorry for pretending I could feel for him even a fraction of what I felt for you.

I'm sorry I compared his perfection to your craziness, his charm to your passion, his planned dates to your thoughtful spontaneity. I'm sorry I wrinkled my nose at his cologne, thinking of smoke and dancing flames, and that I sometimes dreamed in pink—sorry, _salmon_.

I'm sorry that my heart is still too full of you, that there's no more space inside for anyone else. I'm sorry I couldn't forgive or forget.

I burned everything you gave me except for the star lamp. I couldn't get rid of that—you spent so much money on it. I still sit under the stars in my room sometimes and think of you—of you fighting, and laughing, and running, and grinning, and loving, and _happy_.

If only your pride—or mine—would learn to compromise.

But that's the way I loved you.

* * *

© Copyright 2015 by The Siege


	9. itsy bitsy spider

**Fated to Love You**

* * *

_itsy bitsy spider_

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmy—"

Lucy hyperventilated from her vantage point on top of her dining table as she desperately clutched her spatula and stared with teary eyes at the humongous black spider crawling across the window above her kitchen sink. She could smell her food burning on the stove but she was too terrified to even think about that right now.

In fact, the spider had made her so hysterical that she had literally posted an ad on Craigslist begging for someone to come to her apartment and get rid of it before she died of fear. _Literally. _There was actually a real ad on Craigslist that read: "PLEASE HELP GET RID OF ENORMOUS SPIDER, PRICE NEGOTIABLE." God, she was so fucking stupid and _scared out of her mind_ because she had even gone so far-could she claim temporary insanity?-to post her address online for murderers and rapists and burglars to see.

Fuuuuuck. Well, she was dead either way, then, wasn't she?

Lucy focused back on the horror at hand: "Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew-"

All of a sudden, there was a knock and an enthusiastic "Hey!" She turned to see a cute pink-haired man with a long scarf and a carefree grin crouched on her windowsill—damn, she'd forgotten to close it, but how in the world had he gotten up there?—and screamed again, half in surprise, half in fright.

"What the—who the hell are you!?" she screamed, brandishing her oily spatula in his direction.

He jumped down into her living room and fetched a piece of paper out of his back pocket, completely ignoring her. "You, uh, you Lu...Luigi Heart-file-ee-ya?"

"Lucy!" she hissed, not even bothering to try to correct his utter destruction of her last name.

"Gesundheit! So, where the critter at?" He grinned toothily at her and bounced on his feet, and it was then that she noticed the large black backpack.

"Uh, what's in there?"

"Huh?" He twisted his neck to look where she was pointing—_mm, his neck muscles_, Lucy appraised before blushing and mentally scolding herself for the absolute shamelessness of that thought—and perked up even more (she hadn't thought that was possible, but alas). "Oh, this? Just a few tools to help your unwanted guest out!"

Lucy gaped at him, slack-jawed. "You...you're here because of the ad I posted on Craigslist? Are you serious? What if it was a prank? Why did you come in through the window? No, how did you even get up there? What are you—_oh dear lord_, that's a lot of lighter fluid. That's—_wow_. God. Okay, lemme just..."

Lucy pulled out her phone to Google the fastest route to the hospital, because there was _no way_ something wasn't going to go horribly wrong. She couldn't take her eyes off of the man as he continued to shake out his bag and more and more bottles came tumbling out.

"Okay, why in the _world_ would you bring that much? That is literally enough to demolish a small town! What the hell were you thinking?" Lucy yelled, glaring at the small mountain of bottles filled with highly inflammatory liquid piled innocently on her floor.

The man scratched his head, giving her a confused look. "Is it too much? I thought, just in case—"

"In case what? In case you weren't able to burn down the whole building trying to get rid of a spider?"

"I mean, if that's what it takes..."

Lucy groaned—and suddenly, she realized that she had almost completely forgotten about the source of her woe. She whipped her head back to the kitchen and sighed in relief to find the spider exactly where it had been before. She would've freaked the fuck out if it had moved because then she'd have to go and find it, lest it surprise her in the bathroom.

"So, where's the spider?"

She looked back at the man who eagerly scooped up several bottles and pulled out a red lighter from his pocket. She stared at him in disbelief.

"You...you really...oh my _god_, no! No! No, put all of that away _right now_! You are _not _killing this spider!"

He frowned. "I'm not?"

"No!" Lucy sighed in exasperation. "I just want you to get rid of it. Release it back into the wild, I dunno, but not kill it!"

The man paused in the midst of leaning down to pick up his shit and gave her a weird look. It was soft and warm and...weird. It made her feel tingly and she hated (loved) it. He smiled—a _real_ smile this time, wide and sweet, not the mischievous smirks he'd worn earlier—and damn if Lucy didn't feel her cheeks flush and her heart pound in response.

"What?" she practically barked at him, wincing internally at her unintentional harshness, but he just shook his head, still smiling.

"Nah. Just...you're weird."

Immediately, Lucy was on the defensive. "What? No, I'm not! If anything, you're the weird one, you—_oh my god, it moved!_"

Lucy whimpered as the spider's furry black legs twitched and the man followed her frightened gaze to the kitchen sink. He approached it slowly, picking up a magazine from her counter on the way. When he got right in front of it—Lucy was holding her breath with anticipation now—he opened the magazine and scooped the spider right onto its pages before closing it, but gently so he wouldn't squish it. He then quickly walked back to the open window, making Lucy squeak in fear as he passed by her, and let it loose on the side of the building before slamming the window shut.

"Mission accomplished!" He dropped her magazine on the couch—Lucy watched in disgust, making a mental note to throw out the magazine and deep clean that couch later—and moved to stand in front of her.

She was looking down on him, since she was still standing on top of the table, and he was looking up at her, and his eyes were a really pretty dark green, forest-y, and his skin was tan, and was that a hint of a scar on his neck?

Then he held out a hand to her and chuckled. "Need help getting down?"

She scowled. "I can get down perfectly fine on my own, thank you very much." Except, apparently, she couldn't, because she jumped down, which was clearly a bad idea, and slipped on the wood boards of her floor. Her arms flailed as she tried and failed to regain her balance and she squeezed her eyes shut as she tipped forward.

Straight into his chest.

His arms were quick to steady her, strong hands cupping her waist as he set her on her feet, and her arms automatically landed on his shoulders. He laughed, and Lucy was mesmerized by it until he grinned down at her and teased, "Thought you could get down perfectly fine on your own, Luigi."

Her face burned but she dug her fingers into his shoulder and refused to look away. "My _name_ is _Lucy_! And I just slipped a little, that's all! I would've been fine!"

His face softened again and he held her gaze firmly. "Right. Lucy."

She held back a shiver. That's when they realized the position they were in and each took a step back, the loss of his hands on her waist forcing her to suppress an even more insistent shudder.

"I'm Natsu, by the way. Natsu Dragneel," he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Natsu." She savored the way his name rolled off her tongue.

The corner of his lips tilted upwards. Then he frowned and his nose twitched. "Is something burning?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she turned back to the kitchen just as her fire alarm started shrieking. "_Shit!_"

* * *

**notes:** aaaaaand of course then natsu somehow convinced her to cook more food for both of them but mostly him and then when they talked price for her services (heh) he naturally refused all monetary compensation and instead wrangled a not-date out of her ;) i think i like my natsus immature and innocent but not idiotic like he sometimes is in the manga lol xD so basically oc ahahahaha. the au prompt is from dailyau on tumblr btw. also i guess i'm experimenting with the format and tryna figure out where is best to leave my notes. is it better before or after the chapter? before is nice just to get it outta the way but after is also nice because i dont have to worry about spoiling the chapter by making some flippant hilarious comment. idk. any opinions?

* * *

© Copyright 2016 by The Siege


	10. this is what you came for

**Fated to Love You**

* * *

_this is what you came for_

_Baby—_  
_This is what you came for_  
_Lightning—_  
_Strikes every time she moves_  
_And everybody's watching her_  
_But she's looking at—_  
_You_

Giggling, I hold onto your arm as we strut into the club like we own it (I could, if I wanted to; I'm rich enough, after all). You're dressed in a dark red button-down and tight leather pants that make your ass look fantastic and your pink hair is as spiky and unruly as ever. Your dark green eyes are observant but bored, flitting here and there, and a shadow of a smirk rests on your lips. You look dangerously sexy, just the way I like you.

I toss my curly black hair back over my shoulders and swing my hips seductively as we walk, helping my tight red dress to emphasize my curves. I'm hot and I know it, but I'm off-limits to everyone but you.

I was pleasantly surprised when you told me you wanted to go clubbing tonight and insisted on this club, Fairy Tail. You hate dancing and you never want to go to clubs, even though I always beg. I'm glad you decided to give it a try tonight.

"Natsu." My voice is low, husky as I lean up and speak into your ear. The loud music pounds through the floor. "Get me a drink?"

You shrug indifferently and make your way to the bar. Grinning, I run my fingers through my hair and stride to the dance floor. Tonight, I want to make you go crazy. I want you to want me like you've never wanted anything before, maybe make you a little jealous. We're not exclusive or anything—I wouldn't even say we're dating—but we have an unspoken agreement not to be with other people while we're together. I like you though, a lot actually, and I'm just waiting on you to be ready to make us official. It's going to happen, I know it.

My head nods to the beat and I let my body move as it wants. I let a knowing smile curl my lips as I grind to the music.

After a few minutes, I look for you, wondering what's taking so long. Glancing around, I see that almost everyone in the club is staring in one direction. People are still moving, still talking, still drinking, but absently, almost unconsciously, as they watch the blonde bombshell in the middle of the dance floor work her body. She's in a slinky blue dress and her wavy blonde hair is a hot mess, but the mussed-up look just makes her even sexier. The flashing lights reflect off of her glistening skin. She's gorgeous and she knows it. She sways and dances, seemingly oblivious to all the eyes on her, her mouth thrown open in excitement and her brown eyes sparkling and fixed unerringly on one spot. I follow her gaze and my eyes widen to find her watching you.

My jaw drops when I realize that you're staring back at her with the darkest look I've ever seen. You've never looked at me like that. You lick your lips slowly and a grin spreads across your face—not a smirk, but an honest-to-goodness smile, which I've never seen on your face before—as your eyes roam her body, not straying for a second. There's something in your face that I've never seen before, something so wanting, so lustful that it's almost desperate—_and I hate it_. You're supposed to look at _me _like that, _only _me. Not _her_.

Your lips move, shaping a word I can only guess at. It looks like _Lucy_.

Realization hits me like lightning and I realize why you wanted to come to this club tonight. Somehow, you knew she'd be here.

My eyes glance back to _that bitch_ who is stealing you away from me, and I glare as she spins and laughs and beckons you to her with a finger.

_Don't_, I think in your direction. _Don't go to her_.

You don't hear me. You don't see me. Your world has narrowed down to only her. You set down your drink—_the drink that was meant for me_—and ruffle your hair as you swagger through the writhing bodies to her. You stand motionless for a few seconds, staring down at her, as she continues to move but stares back, waiting for you to make a move. You don't touch.

Then suddenly, you melt together and I can't watch anymore.

It wasn't me. It was never me.

_It was always her._

* * *

**notes:** hi all! it's been a while, huh? sorry! i just haven't had the time or inspiration for this collection lately. also this definitely isn't my best writing and i don't really like the way i wrote it but the lyrics inspired me, even though i loathe this song with the passion of a thousand supernovas. i've never been clubbing looooool so i have no idea what it's like, but well. whatever. also this is in the pov of an oc, just a random girl created for the sake of this chapter because i didn't feel like using lisanna again lol. i like her as a character too much to turn her into a bitch anyway nyaha. enjoy!

**disclaimer:** i don't own the song "this is what you came for" by calvin harris &amp; rihanna (and taylor swift apparently lol).

* * *

© Copyright 2016 by The Siege


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